The Champion-A pkmn League story
by pkchampion
Summary: Erin, a professor, tells one of the new trainers the story of how she became the Champion of the okemon league...includes s surprise new pokemon and a few special characters...please R/R!!


Disclaimer: The only things I own are: Tori, Erin, Tony, Ryan, Joe, the rest of the battlers at Pokemon League (except Lance), Cirledei (my friend came up with Eleisei), any new Pokemon moves, my Pokemon's nicknames, and the Reviveberry. Oh, and also Dandeleon, her kids, and her special poke' ball.  
  
  
The Champion  
  
  
Prologue  
  
A young woman of about 20 sits at a table as she goes over papers. She is wearing a white lab coat and a pair of reading glasses. She has long, pulled-back blonde hair and laughing blue eyes.   
Eventually, she gets up and goes over to the window of the third-floor room she is in. The backyard, a giant field, is full of Pokemon running, playing, sleeping, or just doing nothing. One Pokemon in particular catches her eye.  
It is a small, green, female Pokemon with yellow petals surrounding her face. Once believed to be the only of her kind, she is now surrounded by five smaller versions of her, her children. She is a Dandeleon.   
The professor hears the doorbell ringing. She goes downstairs to answer it, wondering who in the world would be there.   
A small boy of about 10 is at the door. He grins up at the professor, and she smiles back. This boy is one of the trainers who will begin their journey that week, each one of them starting on a different day. He must be the one leaving today. He is there for his starter Pokemon.  
"Come in, please," says the professor. The boy reads the name on her ID card. It says, in fancy letters:  
  
Professor Erin Welder: Officially allowed to start trainers off on a new journey, by order of the Pokemon League.  
  
  
"Hello, Professor Welder. My name is Tony. I'm here for my starter Pokemon." The boy looks around at the huge laboratory. The professor is thinking about this boy.  
"Tony, is it? I had a friend named Tori, back when I was traveling...but that was a long time ago. By the way, don't call me Professor Welder. I don't really like it. Call me Erin." Erin smiles again at the young boy.  
Tony goes over to look out the window, and is amazed at the sight of the Dandeleon. His eyes widen as he sees all the Pokemon in the yard. Almost every Pokemon in the world resides there, he thinks, and she caught and bred them all.   
"What'll my first Pokemon be?" Tony asks, curious. Erin invites him to sit down at a table, and she grabs two cans of soda from her refrigerator.   
"I don't know yet. You are the last one to leave, and there are none of the originals left. You might have to wait a year. But then again..." she glances quickly toward the window, then back, "...then again, I might have just the solution to this problem." She sits down, too.  
"I know you were...I mean are...the Champion of the Pokemon League," Tony says, "but how did you do it?"  
"You really want me to tell you?" Erin asks. Tony nods. "Ok, then, but it's a long story." She takes a sip of her soda and begins.  
  
Chapter 1  
The Road To Indigo Plateau  
  
"Ok, Pylee, Fly attack!" My Pidgeot came down hard on the opponent's Vileplume. I had already beaten the girl's other two Pokemon, and this was her last one. Vileplume went down easy, being weak to flying types.  
"Nice battle," the girl said as I shook her hand. She and I were both probably headed to the same place, which was Indigo Plateau. There, they were holding the annual Pokemon league championship.  
"Way to go, Erin!" cried my best friend and original partner, Tori Jereb. We hit high fives. My other two companions, Ryan Kerrings, a 12-year-old boy, and Joe Lawrence, a 10-year-old boy, applauded dramatically.   
"Ok, Ok, that's enough overacting!" I said excitedly. All of us were going to compete in the Pokemon League Championship.  
We all had fought many battles, and were anxious to get to a Pokemon Center. However, it was against the rules to Fly or Teleport to the league gates. So, the whole group of us struggled on.   
***********  
  
"I don't think we can last for many more battles, Erin," said Joe. He was right. And the more I thought about it, the more I started to think there was another solution. But I just couldn't figure out what it was.  
It was after a battle that wiped my Gyarados, Lyrna, out completely that I realized what the solution must be.   
"Ryan, use your Misdreavus to cast an Invisibility around us. We should be able to make it safely to the gate!" He instantly reacted, doing exactly as I had said. "If anyone sees us, we know something's wrong," I said, smiling, although no one could see me at that point.  
***********  
  
"We're almost there. We can't risk them seeing us coming back from being invisible. It might be against the rules." Ryan quickly got his Misdreavus to get rid of the Invisibility, then called it back.   
"How close are we, anyway?" asked Joe. Tori was holding up a map. She looked at it with a puzzled look for a moment, then folded it back up again.  
"We're about half a mile away. We should be there in about an hour, if we walk fast enough." Tori put the map back in her backpack.  
Yeah, right, I thought. Like we can walk fast enough. But I started walking anyway. The others followed me. Soon enough we were at the gate.  
"Are you authorized to compete here?" The guard at the door asked. I showed him the badges that were on my bandanna, all sixteen of them. He let us pass, but said that only Tori and I could compete because we were the only ones with all the badges.   
We gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy at the desk of the Pokemon center, then went to sign us up. I looked at the long list of competitors.  
"You know, Erin, you should base your strategy on the element of surprise," Ryan said.  
"What?" I asked. I was busy thinking about how I would set up my team for the first battle.  
"Well, you have a pretty versatile team. I mean, your Pokemon fill just about every type."  
"Give me an example."  
"Say you beat the first kid's Charizard with your Gyarados. He might bring out an electric type to finish it, so you could surprise him by choosing Sandshrew instead of letting Gyarados stay out."  
"You mean I should throw in Catastrophe?" Catastrophe was the name of my Sandshrew. Long story there.  
"Pretty much. Plus, basically no one here has ever seen a Dandeleon-"  
"Ssssssshhhhhhhh! It's gonna be that way, too! I don't want anyone to find out yet!" Dandeleon was my best and brightest. I had evolved her from a baby Eevee, and she was the only one of her kind. "If no one knows, it'll be even more of a surprise, won't it?"  
"Point taken. Since only you and Tori are competing, is it Ok if we watch?"  
"Why not? I need someone besides Tori to discuss strategy with. We'd probably end up talking about everything but strategy!"  
***********  
  
Eventually, we ended up staying there, at the Center, for the night. Us, along with thousands (literally) of other trainers. I remember thinking How will I ever get to sleep? just before my head hit the pillow.   
  
Chapter Two  
The First Battle  
  
Early that morning, the list was up. I looked to see who and what I was up against. This was the list.  
  
Haley vs. Mark  
Kyle vs. Ken  
Carrie vs. Lisa  
Tracey vs. Peter  
Austin vs. Jessica  
Jeff vs. Steven  
T.J. vs. Alex  
Erin vs. Stacey  
Jim vs. Molly  
Matt vs. Davis  
Jamie vs. Cassie  
Stella vs. Tori  
  
There was more, but that's the only part I was interested in. The battle would begin around 10:00 am. That gave me...OH NO!!!! ONLY ONE HOUR!!!!!! How in the world was I going to be prepared in only one hour?? Oh, well. I would have to try. Who was I facing again? Oh, yeah, Stacey.   
***********  
  
"Erin and Stacey, please enter the ring." It was the voice of the announcer at the battle ring. I was on the red side, Stacey on the white. She looked to be about 11, and not very experienced. But I'd just have to wait to find out about that second part.  
"Will the opponents please step to the center of the ring and shake hands." It wasn't a question. It was League custom. We shook and introduced each other.   
"Hi. I'm Stacey. I'm 11, and I come from Johto." So I was right about her age, after all.  
"I'm Erin. I'm 13. I come from...um...Kanto." This was a hard one, considering the actual circumstances.  
"Each competitor will use three Pokemon. A Pokemon is defeated when it is unable to battle or is thrown out of the ring." We'd already heard the rules, so I don't know why they were being announced again. "Now, let the battle begin!!"  
Stacey and I each took up our positions. I had won the coin toss, which meant Stacey would be going first, giving her a disadvantage.  
"First up, Shocks!" Stacey threw her poke' ball into the ring. I was expecting an electric-type, so it was no shock to me (pun intended) when I was suddenly face-to-face with a Pikachu.   
Let's do it, Catastrophe!" Stacey looked surprised at the name, but afraid when she saw it was my Sandshrew.   
"Ok, Shocks, Spark attack!" Hah! She was inexperienced. She should have known that an electric attack would have no affect on a Sandshrew. Catastrophe just shook off the charge like it was nothing.  
"Yeah, right. You should have learned your strengths and weaknesses by now! Ground beats Electric 100% of the time. Catastrophe, Earthquake attack now!!!" The ground shook as hundreds of small rocks flew at Stacey's Pikachu. It stood it's ground, and appeared very strong, but at the end of the attack, it wobbled a little and fell down, knocked out.  
"Oh, a one-hit K.O! We don't usually see those here in the Pokemon league! Looks like Pikachu is DOWN!!!" The announcer's voice came blaring over the loudspeaker.  
"NO!!! Shocks!!!" Stacey called back Pikachu and pulled out another poke' ball. "This time I won't lose! Second up, Glitter!" A Pokemon that looked like a metal chicken appeared in the ring. A Skarmory.  
OH, NO. Sandshrew wouldn't land a single attack. But...Lanturn might. What was it Ryan had said, about surprise?   
It was as though I was hearing him talking right then.   
"He might bring out an electric-type to finish your Gyarados, but you could win it by switching out to Sandshrew."  
"You mean I should throw in Catastrophe?" I heard myself asking.   
"OK, then, Catastrophe, you're work's done!" I cried, calling it back. "Let's do it, Switcher!" My Electric/Water fish, a Lanturn, appeared on my side of the ring.  
"Oh, and it looks like the Red trainer is switching out to Lanturn! Smart move by the Red trainer! But the Skarmory may have the upper hand in this battle!" That announcer was getting annoying. He could at least use our names.  
"Ok, my turn for first attack! Switcher, use your Water Shock!" A blast of electrified water shot towards the Skarmory. I knew Water worked fairly well against Steel, and Electric was awesome against Flying, so I figured I wasn't too bad off. Until I realized what kinds of attacks her Skarmory had.  
"Looks like Skarmory has been hit, but it's still standing strong!" OK, announcer, would you please SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!! I thought.   
"Attack, Glitter! Hypnosis!" The Skarmory's eyes began to glow yellow. In the blink of an eye (no pun intended, there), Switcher's eyes were closed. Fortunately, I had planned for this.  
"Switcher! Snore attack!" One of Switcher's attacks, chosen at random, would hit Skarmory. Luckily for me, the attack that hit was Waterfall.   
"Ok, Glitter, finish it with a Dream Eater!" Stacey's Skarmory absorbed the energy from Switcher, finally making it unable to battle.  
"Now Lanturn is down! Both opponents still have two Pokemon left, and those Pokemon are still going strong!" That was, obviously, the announcer.  
I needed time to think. What did I have that could stand up to Skarmory? Not Catastrophe, and certainly not Dandeleon. But then there wasn't much left...  
Houndoom, said a voice in my head. What? Oh, great, now I'm hearing things, I thought.  
Use your Houndoom. It can prevail, said the voice. I didn't know what was going on, but I realized that using Darkfire (my Houndoom) was my best chance.  
"Ok, then, let's do it, Darkfire!" I released the Houndoom happily, feeling like I could win.   
"Glitter, Rain Dance!" That move would make it rain. But poor Stacey had just roped herself into more trouble then she could ever have known.  
The move Rain Dance decreases the power of fire-type moves, but improves the accuracy of the move Thunder to 100%. So I basically had no choice.  
"Darkfire, Thunder, now!" The blast rocketed through the stadium, hitting Skarmory full blast. It went down like I snapped my fingers.  
"And the White trainer's Skarmory gets taken out by a sneaky Thunder attack! The White trainer has only one Pokemon left to use. What'll it be?" For once I didn't care about the announcer.  
"This is my last shot, but I'm gonna win it! Third up, Kitty!" A small, yellow cat Pokemon appeared. It was a Meowth.   
This one seemed pitiful, but I had learned never to underestimate anything. "Darkfire, use your Shadow Ball attack!" A giant ball of darkness hit the Meowth full force. It was thrown backwards...and OUT OF THE RING!!!!! I had won!!!!!!  
"And Meowth is disqualified, making the Red trainer, Erin, the WINNER!!!!!" I was jumping up and down. Ryan and Joe waved at me from the stands, and the entire stadium was cheering.  
I shook Stacey's hand again. "Nice battle. Your Pokemon put up a great fight. Next year I'm sure you'll go really far." I was being as nice as I could, but she looked like she wanted to run from the stadium and never come back.  
Suddenly, Stacey looked at me and smiled. "Now I know how hard I'll have to work to beat you next year," she said confidently.  
***********  
  
I celebrated with my friends after dinner. Tori had won her battle also, and she'd only needed to use one of her Pokemon.  
It seemed like it was going to be another one of those nights, but I was asleep this time before my head hit the pillow.  
  
Chapter Three  
The Insect Trainer  
  
As usual, the new list was up. This is the interesting part, from my battle to Tori's.  
  
Erin vs. Ken  
Molly vs. Alex  
Mark vs. Davis  
Lori vs. Tyler  
Nick vs. Cody  
Carrie vs. Tracey  
Austin vs. Steven  
Tori vs. Cassie  
  
OK, since I was up a little earlier, I now had two hours to be nervous. I decided to check up on what Ken had used in his last battle.   
Hhmmmm...Ariados, Beedrill, Scyther. Bug Pokemon? He's a Bug Catcher?? Thoughts were racing through my mind. Joe was also a Bug Catcher, or had been, until he'd caught his Geodude.  
Plus, there was the mystery of the voice in my head. Who had it been? And why had he/she wanted me to win?  
Better prepare a team prepared to fight some bugs, I thought, and started pacing and looking out the window of my room in thought.  
***********  
  
"Both contestants please shake hands." Oh, no. Here we go again with the announcer thing, I thought. I stepped into the center of the ring.  
"Hi. I'm Erin. I'm from Kanto. I'm 13." Short, sweet, and to the point.  
"My name's Ken. I come from Cirledei. I'm 13, also." Cirledei was the northern area of the Pokemon world. Cold and hot in seasons. I had been there before.  
This guy looks like a genius to me, I thought. And he did, too. He didn't have glasses or a little plastic pocket thingie (let alone a pocket) or anything. It was just the look on his face. Still, I was confident after my first win, and sure I could win again.   
This time, I had the white side, and Ken the red. I had lost the coin toss, making me the first to have to choose. But I knew this trainer's strategy. Which also left open the possibility that he knew mine, as well.   
"OK, let's do it, Xatu!" A bird that looked strangely like a totem pole appeared. A Psychic/Flying combo, it was my number one choice against bugs. Xatu was one of the few Pokemon I hadn't nicknamed. It was just more fun to say Xatu.   
"Alright then. Time to battle, Slasher!" A green bug Pokemon, with what appeared to be wings on it's back, and having scythes for hands, a Scyther (appropriate, no?) appeared.   
"Xatu! Psychic attack!" The shimmering purple Psychic waves surrounded the Scyther, hitting with full force. Bug types being weak against Psychic, I figured it would only take one more hit to finish the Scyther.  
"Slasher, Crunch attack!" A Dark-type move, Crunch greatly weakened Xatu, but not enough to beat me.   
"We're not through with you yet! Xatu, Psywind!" A whirlwind fused with Psychic power not only defeated Scyther, it blew it out of the ring completely.   
"And Scyther is blown out of the ring by a powerful psychic wind!" I shot a Look at the announcer.   
"If looks could kill..." I heard Ken mutter. I smiled. Not every day did I meet someone who shared my sense of humor.  
"What Pokemon will the Red trainer use next?"   
"Let's get on with this battle! Time to battle, Stinger!" A purple, pink, orange, yellow, and black spider Pokemon appeared. An Ariados. It had a deadly poison stinger. However, being Bug/Poison typed, it was doubly weak to Xatu's Psychic attacks.  
"Xatu, Psychic! Hit it with all you've got!" The stadium rocked with the force of the attack. Ariados took a beating, but stood its ground.  
"Crunch attack, NOW!!" Xatu tried to stay in the battle, but the dark energy was just too much for it.   
"And Xatu goes down after a good fight. The White trainer seems well prepared for this battle, but the Red trainer looks like he still has a few tricks up his sleeves!"  
"Loud, yet effective," I said in the announcer's general direction. "Let's do it, Darkfire!" Ken had to know what Darkfire was, if he had looked at my previous winning team.   
"A Houndoom, huh? How nice. Too bad it's gonna lose!" he cried triumphantly, unwilling to lose even though he knew I would roast his butt. "Stinger, Double Kick!" A fighting move? But how...Ken had raised his Bug-types well, I now saw. They could beat their weaknesses.  
"Ok, Darkfire, let's cook 'em! Spitfire attack!" A virtual bombardment of tiny flames hit Ariados with full power. It kind of ran around in circles for a while, blowing (if you could call it that) on its burning butt (told you so!), then faced Darkfire again.  
"It looks as though Ariados has been burned!" the announcer said (obviously). Did he ever quit?   
"Stinger, another Double Kick! Hit it as hard as you can!!" Ken sure didn't quit. He thought he had me beat, but I had other plans.  
"Darkfire, Shadow Shield!" A giant dark energy field surrounded Darkfire. Ariados's double kicks bounced right off.   
"Darkfire, Shadow Ball!" It was a Ghost-type attack, but it worked. Ariados's legs gave out, and it fainted.  
"Ariados is DOWN!!! The Red trainer will have to choose his next Pokemon carefully if he wants any hope of winning this battle!" I had a sudden vision of the announcer sweating with excitement in his little announcement box.  
"He's getting pretty annoying, isn't he?" Ken asked, looking at me.  
"And you just noticed this now?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Then we laughed. I made a mental note to tell Tori that one, later. I kind of hoped I would get to battle Tori, but if I lost here, I hoped Tori would get to battle Ken. He had our insane sense of humor.  
"Ok, then my final choice! Time to battle, Heracross!" Ok, I knew what that was. A big, blue, beetle-looking bug with a giant horn on its head. A Bug-Fighting type, it stood a chance of defeating Darkfire, but Darkfire stood an equal chance of defeating Heracross. Sort of.   
"Darkfire, here's your chance! Use your Flame Wheel!" The flames rolled (literally) toward Heracross, but the bug jumped out of the way. Speedy little thing, I thought.  
"Heracross, Megahorn!" The bug attacked hard, and hit hard, too. Hard enough to knock Darkfire out of the ring, which meant immediate defeat.   
"You're not gonna win that easily! Time for the surprise!" I pulled out my special green-and-yellow poke' ball. Inside was my special green and yellow Pokemon. My Dandeleon. "Let's do it, Dandeleon!!" I was having a great time between the look on Ken's face and the way the Heracross was slowly backing away. I recognized the small, red object that Ken was pulling out of his pants pocket as a Pokedex. He pointed it at Dandeleon.  
"Dandeleon, the dandelion Pokemon. This is a Grass-type Pokemon. Little else is known about this new specie, except that there is only one of it's kind," said the Pokedex.   
"Ha, a Grass-type! Heracros'll win easy! Use your Pin Missle!" Ken cried.  
"You haven't seen anything yet! Dandeleon, use your Psybeam!" A purple blast went from Dandeleon to Heracross, defeating the Heracross in one hit. It didn't even have time to get out of the way.   
"And it looks like the White trainer, Erin, is again victorious!" Ok, so the announcer wasn't that annoying...maybe.  
Ken and I shook hands in the center of the ring again. "Great battle. When this whole thing ends, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine named Tori. She has that rare sense of humor, also." I rolled my eyes over at the announcer, in case he didn't get the clue.  
"I saw her name on the battle list. She's pretty good. Where's she from?"  
"She's from Kanto, like me. Actually, we're best friends."  
He'll stay and watch the rest of the battles. At the end of all this, you're going to get a great surprise, the voice from before said. That was enough weird voices for me. I decided to try talking to it.   
Who are you, what do you want, and WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD??? I thought to the voice.  
Won't tell you, I want some conversation and I want to help you, and because I feel like it. Satisfied? asked the voice.  
No. Here's another question. Why do you want to help me?   
Because I know what's going to happen, and no I won't tell you, so don't ask. Goodbye!  
Wait...! But it was too late. Whoever or whatever the voice was, it could come and go as it pleased.  
"Erin? Are you Ok?" Ken's voice startled me out of my thoughts.  
"Yeah. I'm just thinking about tomorrow. The third battle."  
"I think I'll stay and cheer you and Tori on."  
"No problem. I'm gonna watch Tori battle today, too," I said. I walked out of the ring to find where Ryan and Joe were sitting. I didn't even realize that Ken was following me.  
  
Chapter Four  
Tori's Battle Against Time.  
  
"Tori and Cassie, please enter the ring and shake hands!" At least he's not going over the rules again, I thought. It would be fun to watch Tori battle, since I hadn't gotten to the first time.   
Cassie was a short black girl, although she looked like she was fourteen. I heard a word float up from their introductions: "...Eleisei...", and I knew that was where Cassie was from (as I said, Tori was from Kanto, like me).   
"Let the battle begin!!" said the announcer, and they were both pulling out poke' balls.   
Out of Tori's poke' ball came a Feraligatr. It was a strong, Water-type Pokemon. Out of Cassie's poke' ball came a Persian. I wondered just what she was up to with this. See, I had looked at her previous battle team and I knew she had a good Electric-type. What's up here? I wondered.  
Oh, no! She can't do this! Erin, your friend is facing a race against time! Oh, great. The voice was back.  
What do you mean, `A race against time'?  
That Persian knows the "Perish Song" technique. It-  
Knocks out both Pokemon after three turns, I finished. So? Both of them will lose, then. It's a win/win deal.  
No, it's not. Her Persian also is holding an item, a Reviveberry, which will heal it completely!  
Oh, great! I've gotta warn Tori! But...how?  
That's just it. You can't. Not unless...do you have any Psychic Pokemon?  
Yeah, a Xatu. Why?  
Use IT to contact Tori. I've gotta leave now. Bye! I didn't try calling the voice back. I still didn't know who it was, anyway. I said I needed to leave and went into one of the stadium bathrooms. I released Xatu, hoping that no one else would come in.  
"Xatu, connect me with Tori...please," I added as an afterthought. When I'd first caught Xatu as a Natu, it hadn't wanted to obey me.  
"XATU!! XATU!!" it said loudly, and it started to glow purple. Soon enough, I could hear Tori thinking in my head.  
What should I use, Hydro Pump or Ice Beam? she was thinking.  
Ice Beam, I replied.  
What? Oh, hi Erin. What do you want?  
Look, you need to freeze the thing, or it will use its Perish Song attack.  
It already has. Where are you that you don't know?  
In the stadium bathroom. Look, either you switch out, or it does, but one of you switch! Or, freeze it so it can't be called back and so it will perish to if it gets you first  
OK, I'm freezing it! I seemed to hear, faintly, someone shouting "Ferlie, freeze it with your Ice Beam!"  
"Xatu, break the connection," I said. Once it did, I called it back into its poke' ball. I went back out into the stadium and took my seat again, and wouldn't you know it, I was just in time to hear the announcer.  
"Uh-oh, it looks like Feraligatr has frozen Persian. Now they both have to wait out the Perish Song countdown." As I watched, the energy seemed to be pulled from both Pokemon, and I knew that Tori needed to finish off that Persian fast.  
"Ferlie, Water Blast!" Tori cried. The Persian was forced out of the ring, meaning that Tori had won this one.   
"Ok, then, Charmander, here we go!" Cassie pulled out a Charmander, which was another big mystery to me. Charmander, besides being small, was also weak against Water-type Pokemon. Did it have some kind of special move, too? Or maybe she was just trying to wait Tori out. Feraligatr's Perish Count was now 2, meaning that it could survive two more turns.  
"Very funny. Ferlie, Hydro Pump!" The water blew the Charmander away.  
"A one-hitter! That Charmander was a bad choice by the Red trainer. Will she be able to win this battle?" I saw Tori give the announcer a Look, and almost started laughing (I said we had the same view of things, didn't I?).   
"Alright, if that's the way you want to play, then Fuzzy, here we go!" Cassie released a tiny little yellow mouse Pokemon, with black-tipped ears and red cheeks. It was a Pikachu. Feraligatr's Perish Count was 1. It was a race against time. And I knew who would lose.   
"Ferlie, Earthquake! Hit it hard!" The Earthquake hit hard, but not hard enough. The Pikachu retaliated with a Thunder attack. It defeated Feraligatr, but it wouldn't have mattered, because the Perish Count would have been zero anyway.  
"And Feraligatr is OUTTA THERE!! What Pokemon does the White trainer have that can defeat this Pikachu?" I knew what she had, but was she willing to risk it?  
"Ha! I'll win this easy! Let's battle, Jumper!" Oh, great. She was risking it. Jumper, a/k/a Tyranitar, almost never listened to Tori. I could only pray now (which I did, by the way).  
"What are you praying for?" A familiar voice said behind me. I spun around to see who it was. It was Ken.  
"Hey! You followed me!"  
"And?"   
"And...well...never mind. Anyway, I'm praying because-"  
"Tyranitar isn't exactly the most obedient Pokemon in the world," finished Joe.  
"I see. Maybe you should pray, after all," Ken said, pointing to the battle ring. Tyranitar was just sitting there.  
"Now, Fuzzy, Body Slam!" Well that was pointless. Tyranitar probably wouldn't even feel a Body Slam. But then I saw something astonishing.  
"Tyranitar, if you were still my Larvitar, I know you'd win this for me. Please, use your Rock Smash attack!" The Tyranitar stood up, registering that Tori hadn't called it Jumper, its nickname, and had mentioned Larvitar. Even I remembered how happy Tori had been when she'd caught Larvitar. It had jumped around so much, she'd decided to call it Jumper.  
"Come on Jumper, Rock Smash, maximum power!" And, amazingly, Tyranitar attacked! Pikachu tried, but it was knocked out. I jumped out of my seat cheering, and hugged Ryan and Joe in happiness. It's one thing to win a battle yourself. It's another thing entirely it cheer your friend on in a winning battle.   
"WAY TO GO, TORI!" all four of us yelled. I was nervous, excited, annoyed, and curious all at the same time. I was nervous about tomorrow and what kind of a battle I'd have, and about the voice that kept speaking in my head. I was excited for both myself and Tori. I was annoyed at the announcer and the voice that kept speaking in my head. I was curious about tomorrow's battle, and about the voice that kept speaking in my head. That voice really bothered me. I just didn't know why.  
***********  
  
We had a small celebration dinner, all five of us (I seriously think Ken wanted to travel with us), and Tori and I got a big surprise.   
A man walked up to us and shook our hands. "You two had a couple of great battles there. Here, I have a gift for you." He handed us each a poke' ball. Weird, I thought. What did he do that for?   
***********  
  
I opened the poke' ball later that night in my bedroom. Out of it came a small, green, insect-like Pokemon with big indigo-blue eyes. I'd seen it before, I knew, and for the strangest part, I thought, no, I knew that I'd heard it before. Weird, right? I pointed my Pokedex at it.  
"Celebi. A Grass/Psychic Pokemon. Believed to be only legend, its Psychic powers present a formidable opponent. It can also speak in the minds of humans." So that was who'd been talking to me.   
Hi, Celebi, I said.  
Hello, Erin. I knew I'd find you eventually. Will you let me battle for you tomorrow?  
Sure. Do you have a nickname?  
No. My old owner...he thought I was too weak...he hurt me before...he thinks you'll lose if you use me. Your friend got an Unown. It is weak, but...my old owner wants booth of you to lose. I don't know why. The Celebi looked so sad. It, no, she, turned around and showed me something on her back. I gasped. There was a scar about two inched long there, and two inches is a lot when you're only a foot tall. That man gave this to me, she said sadly.   
Can I give you a nickname, then? I asked.  
I'd like that, said Celebi.  
Ok, then, your nickname is...Tangerine.  
Tangerine! It sounds so interesting! What is it?  
A fruit. I said, smiling, and calling Tangerine back into her poke' ball. Then I turned off my small light and went to sleep.  
  
Chapter Five  
Battle Of Darkness  
  
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off. Plus, someone was knocking on my door.   
"Who is it?" I asked sleepily.  
"Tori and her Unown!" Tori called back. I got up, dressed fast, and opened the door.   
"What?" I asked. She grabbed my hand and I had to run to keep up with her.  
"The List is up!" She said, and I ran faster. Here's what I saw, again from my battle to Tori's.  
  
Erin vs. Molly  
Davis vs. Carrie  
Lori vs. Cody  
Steven vs. Tori  
  
I checked Molly's line up from the previous two battles. Houndour, Murkrow, Umbreon. Dark Types, all of them. Plus one part Flying and one part Fire. That might not be what she used against me...but there was a good chance she would, since that team had won her both previous battles.   
That's when a thought hit me. How am I going to use Celebi, I mean, Tangerine, if her Psychic is weak to dark and her Grass is weak to Fire and Flying? I had promised her she would get to battle...I wouldn't break my promise. I'd just have to risk it.   
***********  
  
"Erin and Molly, please enter the ring and shake hands." We introduced ourselves, and I got a surprise.  
"I'm Erin. I'm from Kanto. I am 13 years old."  
"Name's Molly. Dark trainer. Fifteen. You might say I'm...well, I guess I'm from Hireleti." Hireleti? Did she mean...Hireleti was the place in the middle of everything. I had never met another trainer from there. "Most people call me a `Darkness Kid'. I say I'm not such a kid anymore."  
"Well, then, let's battle, shall we?" Boy, she was cocky, wasn't she?   
Little snob, if you ask me, said Tangerine from her poke' ball.  
Got that right, I agreed. I had won the coin toss, at least, so I had the immediate advantage, but if I had to use Celebi...I mean Tangerine...I wouldn't think about that until the time came.  
"Spread the darkness, Umbreon!" A black, rabbit-looking Pokemon with glowing yellow circles on its body came out of Molly's poke' ball. Umbreon was a straight Dark-type. I could counter that.  
"Let's do it, Hitmontop!" A Pokemon with three legs, a pointed head, and two arms appeared. It was brown and purple, and usually spun on its head.  
It was fun to say Hitmontop, but there were other reasons for it not having a nickname. Like the fact that it didn't want one.  
Spread the darkness? Weird battle starter, isn't it? asked Tangerine.  
Yeah. I wonder... I trailed off, focusing instead on the battle at hand.  
"Umbreon, Bite attack!" Umbreon launched itself at Hitmontop. But Fighting-types like Hitmontop are virtually immune to Dark-type attacks, so it barely left a scratch.   
"Hitmontop, Spinning Kick!" It immediately began to whirl around on its head, it's three legs rocketing around. It threw itself at the Umbreon, and made contact. The Spinning Kick threw Umbreon out of the ring, and I started to think I could win.  
"And Umbreon is disqualified!"   
"So your strategy is disqualification, huh? Well, two can play at that game! Spread the darkness, Murkrow!" A big, black bird Pokemon appeared. It had a yellow beak and it looked like it had a witch's hat for a head.   
"Hitmontop, Metronome!" Thankfully, a Thunderbolt shot at, and hit, the Murkrow. It went down, as well, after one hit.  
"Another one-hitter. The Red trainer is doing well in this battle!" Obviously, I was the Red trainer.  
"HA! This one'll whip ya! Go, Surprise!" I wondered why she hadn't said `Spread the darkness'. The I saw exactly what "Surprise" was.  
A blue-and-white manta ray Pokemon appeared. It seemed to be floating in the air. It was a Mantine. A Water/Flying Pokemon. Capable of beating Hitmontop.  
"Hitmontop, Metronome!" Unfortunately, the move it chose was Defense Curl, which didn't help at all.   
"Surprise, Dive Bomb!" It slammed into Hitmontop, knocking it out. I knew where I had me chance.  
"The White trainer finally manages to knock out Hitmontop. But she is on her last Pokemon, and the Red trainer still had two left."  
"Let's do it, Tangerine!" My second surprise Pokemon in three days. First Dandeleon, now Celebi.   
"A Celebi? But that's imposs...imposs...that's impossible!" Molly's eyes widened. For I knew that not only was she surprised, but she was scared. She knew I could win, and that I would.  
"Tangerine! Use Mega Drain!" It began to draw energy from Mantine. Sure enough, it was enough to knock out Mantine, making me the winner!  
"And the Red trainer, Erin, pulls off yet another victory! She is steadily rising through this competition!" I was jumping up and down, excited to have beaten such a snob. But I stopped when I looked at Molly.  
She was crying. "Mom'll be so mad at me! I was supposed to take her place in the Elite Four. Now..." she looked at me. "You deserved to win. Your Pokemon are very strong."  
"Who is your mom, anyway, that you're so upset?"  
"My mom? Karen, the Dark trainer of the Elite Four."  
"Oh. You are good, though. You'll probably win it next year, if I'm not there," I said, smiling.  
***********  
  
I didn't get to watch Tori's battle because I was waiting at the Pokemon Center, but she told me she had won, also. It was starting to look like I would have to face Tori in a battle. What would I do then?  
That was the thought in my head as I drifted off to sleep that night. What if I bate Tori? Will I let her win out of friendship? Will we still be friends if I win?   
No one knows those answers, not even me, and I can see the future, said Tangerine.  
I didn't know you were listening, I replied, and went to sleep.  
  
Chapter Six  
The Flying Boy  
  
As usual, the first thing I did in the morning was look at The List. This time, Tori and I were the first two contestants.  
  
Erin vs. Davis  
Tori vs. Lori  
  
It was kind of funny the way their names rhymed, and also kind of freaky. But it was Friday, after all, and anything could happen on a Friday.  
His previous lineups had been: Battle1: Togetic, Xatu, Jynx; Battle2: Porygon, Jynx, Pidgeot; Battle3: Jynx, Togetic, Gligar. He seemed to like his Jynx and Togetic.  
I went over to talk to Ryan and Joe about strategy, since contestants weren't allowed to talk to each other before the battles. Then I started to work on a team that could beat all the types on Davis's team: Psychic, Normal, Flying, Poison, and Ice.  
I came up with a team of six that included: Houndoom (for Jynx), Celebi (for Porygon), Xatu (for Gligar), Dandeleon (for Togetic), Delibird (for Pidgeot), and Tyranitar (for Xatu).   
[Author's note: I didn't use nicknames for the purpose of not wasting time and space explaining]   
***********  
  
"Both contestants, please shake hands." I could tell the announcer was getting bored. He even sounded bored.  
"Hi!" said the boy who was my opponent. "My name's Davis. I'm 13 and I come from Eleisei." He seemed pretty friendly.   
"My name's Erin. I'm 13 also, and I started in Kanto." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. This might be the best battle yet. And winning might mean facing Tori.  
"Let's get this battle started!" cried the announcer, and I took my place as the White trainer. Davis had to choose first, and, thankfully, I was prepared for anything.  
"Go, Jynx!" He yelled, and the human-shaped Pokemon with yellow hair appeared. I tried to remember my team line-up.  
"Let's do it, Darkfire!" If you remember, this was my Houndoom.   
"Jynx, Psychic!"  
"Darkfire, Dark Blast!" Psychic being pathetically weak against Dark, Jynx fainted.  
"I'll beat you yet, Erin! Go, Gligar!" Davis threw his poke' ball, and out came a Flying/Poison combo, Gligar. It was pinkish-purplish in color, with green-blue wings.  
"Darkfire, you're work's done! Let's do it, Xatu!" I chose Xatu basically to play on Gligar's Poison-type weakness to Psychic attacks.  
"Gligar, Toxic!" called Davis. I knew that attack, and I feared it. It would poison Xatu, and weaken it a little bit more after every turn.  
"Xatu, dodge it and come back with a Psywave!" Luckily, Xatu was fast. The Psywave knocked out Gligar, leaving Davis with only one Pokemon left to choose.  
"That's two single-hitters in one battle! That White trainer seems very experienced and powerful!"  
"This is my last chance! Go, Togetic!" The Pokemon that appeared was white, with small wings that it used to hover and red and blue triangles on its body.  
"Xatu, your work's done! Let's do it, Dandeleon!" My Dandeleon did not have any particular strength against Togetic. In fact, it had a weakness. But I knew Dandeleon was strong enough to overcome that weakness.  
"Togetic, Wing Attack!" Dandeleon was hurt, but not badly.  
"Dandeleon, Petal Drill!!" Dandeleon's petals began to spin, and she charged Togetic. It went down with one hit, also, giving me a perfect record for this battle.  
"And Erin Welder from Kanto wins yet again! The final battle tomorrow will be between her and the winner from our next battle! The winner there will go on to battle the Champion!" Oh, no. What if it was Tori?  
I shook Davis's hand again. "Nice job," he said. "Not many people plan that well for a League battle."  
"Well, I guess I just like competition. You were great, too. Your Togetic seemed very strong. Dandeleon even had a weakness to it. But I've been raising Dandeleon since she was a baby Eevee, and she's very strong, also." Davis nodded like he understood, and I nodded, too.  
***********  
  
I went right to my room after visiting the Pokemon Center, and went right to sleep. I didn't even remember to ask Tori how her battle had gone.   
  
Chapter Seven  
A Test Of Friendship  
  
Erin, wake up! You're not gonna like this! Tangerine was talking in my head.   
What? I asked.  
Tori- at that word, I cut the connection, dressed, and ran to Tori's room. She was sitting there, looking really depressed.  
"Tori, what's wrong? Did you lose yesterday?"  
"No. I beat all Lori's Pokemon with Tyranitar."  
"Oh...well...that would upset me, too..." I said, raising my eyebrow.  
"So now, I have to battle you. If I beat you, will we still be friends, Erin?"  
"Sure. I wont like it if I lose, but that doesn't mean we're not friends anymore! Why?"  
"Well...I'm not sure I'd feel the same if you won. I think I'd be mad. Maybe so mad that...that I quit being friends with you. All over one silly battle."  
"Ok, then, lets promise, right now, that we'll still be friends. After all, you've got the map. I would get lost without you, literally!" Tori laughed at that, then nodded.  
"Ok. Friends, even after the battle."  
***********  
  
We weren't allowed to see each other's line-ups, so I was totally unprepared for any one type, but prepared for any type, if you get what I mean.  
"Tori and Erin, our final competitors, please enter the ring and shake hands!!" We shook.  
"Skip the intro, we know who we are!" I said.   
"Right. Let's just battle!"  
The rules were a little different here. We both had to choose our Pokemon at the very same time, so no one had the advantage, unless it was by luck. I prayed silently for this to work, and chose my Pokemon.  
"Let's do it, Tangerine!" I called, and Celebi appeared, ready for battle.  
"Let's battle, Ferlie!" It was her Feraligatr. Grass beats Water, calm down, I told myself.  
Give me a move to use Psychically! I can do whatever you command me to do! I didn't know if Psychic commands were allowed, but then I remembered one of the battles I'd watched. A kid with a Mr. Mime had Psychically told it to use, of all things, Psychic. I could talk in my head, then.  
Ok, Tangerine, use Hypnosis! I could See Feraligatr getting drowsy, and finally dropping off to sleep.   
"No! Ferlie! How did your Celebi...you gave a command in her head!" Tori looked mad, but I wasn't about to let friendship get in the way of the battle.   
Tangerine, Dream Eater, I said. Tangerine used this attack for a few more turns, then finally knocked out Feraligatr. All Tori could do was stand there and watch.  
"Return, Ferlie! Let's battle, Jumper!" Her Tyranitar. As if I needed more problems. Tyranitar was a rock/Dark type, weak yet strong against grass/Psychic Celebi.  
Tangerine, Giga Drain. Tyranitar was beat as well, in only one turn.  
  
  
"Why isn't the announcer going?" Tori asked. I shrugged. I had no idea. "Oh, well, here's my last Pokemon! Promise, let's battle!" [Author's note: She wasn't promising Erin anything, that was her Pokemon's name (DUH)!]  
Promise, I knew, was Tori's Houndour. It had double strength against Tangerine (or should I say Tangerine had double weakness? Oh, never mind...), so I had to be creative on this one.   
Tangerine, Hypnosis attack! The Houndour fell asleep almost instantly.   
"This was a good plan!" Tori cried, a grin on her face. "Promise, Snore attack!" Oh, great. The attack chosen for the snore was a Darkbeam, which rushed at Tangerine with full force.   
Tangerine, dodge it and come back with a Hydro Pump! See, my little Celebi knew all the attacks ever known (lucky for me...). The Hydro Pump shot towards the little Houndour...closer...closer...IT HIT!! And Houndour was knocked out! I HAD WON!!!!!  
But for some reason, I didn't feel like celebrating. Maybe because of the look on Tori's face. But we shook again anyway, and she smiled.  
"We made a promise, and I'm not going to ditch you as a friend, because I have the map and because you have the Pokedex, and also because I want to see you whip the Champion's butt tomorrow...so you better win, or I stayed and watched for nothing!" We both started laughing, and the annoying announcer finally came back on the speaker system.  
"And the Red trainer, Erin Welder from Kanto, will be the trainer to take on the Champion in the final battle tomorrow!" The entire stadium cheered, including Tori. I could see Joe, Ryan, Ken, Molly, Stacey, and Davis in the stands cheering, too. I called back Tangerine and waved, then left the stadium and headed for the Pokemon Center.   
***********  
  
That night there was a somewhat large victory party, with everyone I'd battled plus me at one table. We laughed and talked, and I got a big and wonderful surprise. Actually, the original four of us (me, Joe, Tori, and Ryan) got the surprise.   
"We've all been talking," said Davis, the declared spokesperson for the other four, "and we decided we want to travel with the four of you. Is that OK?"   
"No problem!" said Tori, Ryan, and I at the same time. But Joe remained silent.  
"Something wrong, Joe?" asked Stacey. He nodded. That was when we got our second surprise.  
"I've been thinking of staying here," he said. "I mean, this is a pretty good place to train, and heaven knows I need to train, and I just think it would be better if I stayed here."  
"Well," I said slowly, "if you want to stay, then you should stay. It's your decision, not ours." Everyone nodded in agreement.  
"Ok, then, I chose to stay here!" Joe said, and everyone smiled.  
***********  
  
That night, I was more nervous than ever. The Champion was the best trainer in the Indigo League, and he was facing me? I felt so small. But I went to sleep anyway.  
  
Chapter Eight  
The Dream  
  
It was that night that I also had the strangest dream I could ever remember having.  
It started in the stadium. I was facing the Champion, a man who was hiding in the shadows. His Pokemon were literally beating up on mine, and I had just about lost, when a mysterious man with spiky black hair and a cape put his hand on my shoulder. I whirled around to face him. His lips didn't move, but I heard what he said.  
"Do not drink the mango juice," he said, and then he disappeared.   
The Champion's Pokemon were now attacking me, and I was running for my life. Then I woke up.   
[Author's note: Ok, that's it for the short chapter...]  
  
Chapter Nine  
The Final Battle  
  
"And now, the winner of yesterday's battle, Erin Welder, please enter the ring!" I stepped into the ring. This time I was on the white side.  
"And now, will the Champion please enter the ring!!" A tall man with black spiky hair and a cape entered the red side of the ring. It's the guy from my dream!! I thought. But I wasn't stupid enough to ask about the mango juice.  
We stepped to the center and shook hands. "Hi," I said, "I'm Erin Welder from Kanto. I'm 13."  
"Hello," said the man, "my name is Lance. I am the leader of the Elite Four and the Champion of the Indigo League. I've heard a lot about you. You've been making quite a name for yourself here at the stadium. I myself began my journey in Johto."  
"Let the battle BEGIN!!!!" the announcer yelled, and we did so. As visitor, I had the choice of who went first, so of course I said Lance could.  
"I choose Dragonair!" Lance called, and I recognized the long, blue Dragon-type Pokemon. I also recognized its weakness to Dragon and Ice moves. Dragon is one of the only types weak against itself.  
"Let's do it, Jynx!" My Jynx appeared, ready to fight.  
"Dragonair, Hyper Beam!"  
"Jynx, dodge it, then use Lovely Kiss!" Jynx quickly got out of the way of the Hyper Beam, then planted a Lovely Kiss right on Dragonair's head. It went to sleep instantly.   
"Now, Jynx, Blizzard attack!" The snowstorm pounded the Dragonair, knocking it out almost instantly.  
"And the White trainer had knocked out the Champion's first Pokemon!" said the announcer. I saw my crowd cheering in the stands.  
"Ok, then, I choose Gyarados!" Lance's Gyarados was red. It was one of the rare-color Pokemon that I'd only heard about.   
"Jynx, Psywind!" I called, hoping to get in some damage. Which I did do, and very effectively at that.  
"Gyarados, Rapid Spin!" What? Such a puny little Normal-type attack? I laughed.  
"Like that'll work. Jynx, Ice Blast!" Since Gyarados was part Flying, it would be weak against Ice. And it was, as I saw when it fainted.   
"Oh, and the Champion's second Pokemon is also defeated by the White trainer! The Champion only has one Pokemon left to choose!" This may amaze you, but I saw Lance giving the Look to the announcer.  
"Annoys you too, huh?" I asked.  
"You bet," he replied, then pulled out his final poke' ball. "I choose Charizard!" A huge orange lizard with a flame on its tail and enormous wings, a Charizard, came out into the ring.  
Ok, I thought. Focus on using the Psychic attacks here. "Jynx, Psychic!" The purple blast hit the Charizard, but not hard enough to defeat it.  
"Charizard, Flame Wheel!" Jynx was almost knocked out by this one. I had a plan, but would it work?  
"Jynx, use Windblast! Blow it away!" If I had to win this by disqualification, I would.   
The wind, fortunately for me, did blow the Charizard out of the ring, signaling my victory!!!  
"And the White trainer, 13-year-old Erin Welder from the Kanto region, has defeated the Champion!!!!!!" I jumped so high I thought I would hit the ceiling. Lance shook my hand and smiled, then pulled something from his pocket. He handed it to me.  
It was a necklace, a circle of five metal threads, one each in red, yellow, blue, gold, and silver. The five colors of the five different areas of the Pokemon world.   
"Now everyone will know you are the true Champion of the Indigo Pokemon League, " said Lance, and he grabbed my wrist and raised my hand in victory.  
I thought the stadium would explode with noise. Tori ran right down and hugged me, and the rest of my new traveling party soon followed, including Joe.  
"It was worth losing yesterday to see you win, Erin!" said Tori, and the entire seven of them lifted me up on their shoulders and carried me out of the stadium.  
***********  
  
There was a HUGE party afterwards, and towards the end, everyone was demanding a speech. So, I said the only thing that I could say.  
"It's not like I prepared a speech. I can give advice, however. To my friends, and anyone else who stayed to watch the end of the Indigo League battles, I say this: Never give up. Sooner or later, you have to catch it. Worked for me." There was another extremely loud cheer, then everyone got right down to eating.   
***********  
  
The next day, we all prepared to leave Indigo Plateau. We said our goodbyes to Joe, who promised to catch up to us as soon as he was ready.  
"By then," he said, "my Pidgey will be a Pidgeot, and it can fly me to you." We laughed.  
I took Joe aside just before we left. "Joe," I said, "I don't want to leave you, but since I know I have to, I would like you to raise my Catastrophe. My Sandshrew. I know it'll be very happy with you." I was struggling to keep back the tears, but I gave him the poke' ball with Catastrophe in it. He then held out a poke' ball to me.  
"Here. I want you to have my Spinarak. It'll grow up to be a great fighter, I promise." I took the poke' ball from him, but then realized what he was doing.  
"Joe, this is your rare-color Spinarak. Are you sure..." He nodded.  
"I want you to have it. I'll come back, and then I can see it is an Ariados." We shook hands, not as Champion and trainer, but as equals, both of us trainers on the field of battle.  
"I look forward to the day when you join us again, Joe. You've grown up a lot since that day outside Pewter City. I'll miss you."  
"I'll miss you guys, too. And I promise I'll make it back to you guys...someday." He smiled, and I smiled, and then I turned away from my long-time partner and forever friend, and began to continue my journey with my new friends, and my old ones.   
  
Epilogue  
  
"So that's the story," Erin says as she gets up to throw away the soda cans. "Well, not the whole story, but..." she turns away with a sad look on her face.  
"What?" asks Tony, curious.  
"Well, about two years after I became the Champion," Erin says, fingering the necklace that she still wears, proof that she is still Champion, "we received a message at the Violet City Pokemon Center that Joe had been hit by a car. I never found out anything more than that. I always assumed that he..." she trails off, but Tony knows he can cheer her up with what, he realizes, must have been what really happened to Joe.  
"I have a cousin named Joe," Tony says slowly, "and he's a Bug Catcher. He has a Pidgeot and a Graveler, too. He's in a wheelchair, though, and he says it's from a car accident. Do you think that could be..." Erin smiles and nods, then motions toward the back door.   
"Come out back with me, I've solved the problem of your starter Pokemon." She leads him out into the yard full of Pokemon. He looks around, amazed. Erin whistles, and Dandeleon and her children run over. They sit obediently at Erin's side.  
One of the Dandeleon kids is different than the others. It is purple and blue instead of green and yellow. Erin looks at Dandeleon, who nods, and then picks up the blue and purple Dandeleon. She hands it to Tony, along with a handful of poke' balls and a Pokedex. Then, seemingly as a last-minute thought, she gives him an old-looking, tattered map.   
"It was my map, that long time ago. Or, more accurately, Tori's map. But now you can use it. Go out and collect all the Pokemon in the world, Tony. And tell Joe I said hi." Tony smiles, then turns and runs off. He turns back to her for one moment and yells something. Then he runs off to begin his Pokemon journey.  
It takes Erin a few minutes after he's left to realize that what he said was "I'm gonna name it Catastrophe!"  
She goes inside and sees that there is a message on her machine. She presses the message button. A familiar friendly voice, Tori's voice, begins talking.  
"Hi, Erin? Hope you're ready for the next Indigo League battle! Anyway, the whole gang is getting back together in a week, including Joe, who ended up being Ok after all, and Molly, the new dark master of the Elite Four. Hope to see you then! What am I saying, of course I'll see you. Like you wouldn't show up! Anyway, see ya then!"   
Erin smiles as she thinks of finally seeing all her friends again. Then she returns to the third floor to finish reading over her papers before the sun begins to set that night.  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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